Doing the wrong nct class for due dates?

[MuddyWellyNelly]

OH is keen to do nct although I'm less bothered. Because we didn't apply in time the group we could do isn't the right one. I'm due on 28th July and will be induced then if not already popped. The group we could do is for due dates early Aug to early September. So chances are I will be one of the first to give birth, possibly by several weeks If the others are closer to the end of September due date. One of the main reasons for doing this is we live rurally, so it won't be that easy to just bump into other mums etc. I know plenty of people with kids but none at the same stage.

Do you think it's worth it if it's not quite the right group? It's obviously not free, will take up two of our last ever child-free Saturdays, and I have NHS classes already.

We had a couple in our group who were due just before the group due dates like yourselves. They did NCT as they had done NHS but didn't really make any friends from it so just squeezed in an NCT course (they hadn't lived in the UK long and didn't know many people). Our breastfeeding class was the Wednesday evening and she had some early labour pains and ended up having her DD 24 hours later

We're not a particularly close knit group as 3 families (including us) out of six have moved away now (one family before the baby was born ). It was great to have each other for support in those early weeks though and we do still keep in touch.

I'm not sure the course was worth all the money but it was nice to meet people. I do have other friends who became very close to their NCT groups though.

We did NCT, large group all due similar times...however, my dd decided to make an appearance almost 4 weeks early and the last baby was two weeks late so ours ranged from April to June! My dd is nearly 6 and I still see a couple of the group. So even if dates are wide spread it can still work. Good luck!

And...I actually felt a lot more informed and empowered after the NCT training...we had also attended NHS one which was extremely poor in comparison. I actually finished the NCT training on the Thursday and had my dd on the Sunday, so everything was very fresh in my mind.
The leader was great and also contactable after the course. I know it is not for everyone but I do think it was worth it for us.

I was in a similar position last year... due early November but had to book onto the 'late November/early December' course as I was too cautious to book before my 20 week scan. I was due first and had my baby first, but only by a day! Three of the group were 3 weeks early and nobody went overdue by more than a couple of days so we all ended up relatively close together. We have met up at least once a week since then and I've found the support to be such a lifeline. I had no other friends with babies, all either have no children or older children. So for me definitely worth it!

I think part of my reticence is it feels that we'd be going along just to find some new friends. Perhaps I'm over thinking that though. It's good to get feedback on the classes themselves too, thanks.

Our NCT has a weekly 'bumps and beyond' group. Does yours offer something like that you could attend to meet other expectant mums?

We did NCT mostly to meet people too. I think it was worth it just for that. If you can afford it, do it. Don't worry about the dates, any one of the other mums could pop early for one reason or another. Its not about all going into labour together, it's about what support you get afterwards.

You are basically paying £200 to buy some friends who are in the same boat, as one of my nct group put it the other day. You could read a book and it'd be just as helpful re the actual content of the classes (well that's how I felt anyway).

Whilst we were doing the classes I wasn't sure if we'd end up getting on that well, but we've met up once a week since our babies were a few weeks old and I couldn't have got through it without them. Once the babies arrive and life as you know it changes forever it is great to know a few people at the same stage.

Our due dates spread from 24/11/14 to 3/1/15. As it was 5 out of 6 ended up coming early and having c-sections, so the birthdays only range over three weeks. It really doesn't matter.

I think it is definitely worth doing it, even if its just to make friends!! To be honest, everyone is doing it for similar reasons, and admit it!

I agree with TinyMonkey that I don't think I could have survived the first few weeks without the mums support we all gave each other after our babies were born.

Our babies are now 18 months old and we also still meet once a week, and the mums meet for dinner/drinks once a month!

The date thing is a little odd at the beginning, my lg was one of the first so it 6 weeks older than the youngest, but at 18months this age gap is completely immaterial - they all develop at different times so whilst at the beginning, I went through most things with her first, now we're all in the same boat.

With regards to the course itself, ours was absolutely excellent in comparison to the NHS course we took. They go into more detail than the NHS were able to go into (due to time constraints), and in general they get you as a group to talk about what you want to know the most and ensure they tailor the sessions to cover it all. There was more opportunity to talk openly about your worries and fears and we all felt relaxed enough in each others company to ask what you may feel are silly questions, but actually everyone wants to know the answer!
I came away feeling very knowledgeable about what I was about to go through, what all my options were and the confidence to ask questions during labour. It was also excellent for my OH as he felt the same as me. During labour he felt he knew what was happening and was able to make the decisions we had discussed.

Totally recommend!

Definitely worth doing. We were all with similar due dates,but one baby arrived 6 weeks early and mine was 2 weeks late,so there is 2 month difference between them,however the support we received from each other was/is amazing. 2 years later we all are still very close.

In my group, one lady is due April 24th, but she is having a scheduled section on the 17th. So that is Friday next week! Our last class is Tuesday next week, but she only got round to signing up when the earlier classes were all full.
There are 5 of us and the dates range a lot. We are due:
April 24th (but having the baby 17th)
June 3rd
June 24th
July 3rd
July 7th

I'd do it - we did, nearly 6 years ago now, and it was the best way to meet friends locally. I had one of the later due dates but ended up one of the first as DS decided he was ready at 37 weeks. There was a spread of about 6 weeks between first and last. There were 8 couples in the group and we all met up a few times a week until people started going back to work (mostly me!).

There are now a few people we don't see, but are still sort of in touch with. Most importantly there are two other couples we're really good friends with - have been on hols together a few times and meet up most weeks. We've been there through various issues with subsequent pregnancies and they're the only people who know about our current troublesome pregnancy. Totally worth the money!

Thanks everyone. Sorry for delay in replying, real life intervened.

I'm still swithering. The area that it covers is 2 council areas, the classes themselves are 10 miles from us and theoretically the other couples could be maybe 20 miles from us. So I'm not sure how practical regular meet ups might be. That said, they could end up a couple of miles away as well so we'd have to take the gamble.

Sounds like the due date itself might not be a problem though. I'm just being selfish, as being the probable first means I will get to all the problems first too! Maybe I just need to do it for the actual advice, and view anything else (support, friendships) as a nice added bonus.